Fastening systems comprising a plate nut that floats relative to a supporting element to facilitate assembly of a screw therewith have been used as "blind" fasteners for some time in the aircraft industry. Such systems often comprise a plate nut and a channel which is riveted or otherwise permanently fastened to the "blind" side of a structural member. The channel generally has an aperture in its base surface which is oversize relative to the size of bolt intended to be inserted therethrough. The floating plate nut is generally removable from its supporting channel.
It is desirable for the floating plate nut of such assemblies to be anchored to its supporting channel in a manner that maximizes the ability of the channel to resist reaction torque thereupon due to advancement of a bolt through the plate nut. This feature becomes critical when the channel is fabricated from plastic material. Known plate nut assemblies are not totally satisfactory in that they either sacrifice strength necessary to resist reaction torque on the channel or are unduly heavy or bulky.